Room Grooming for Zooming

Whether we planned to or not, many of us now work in virtual teams. Adapting to this format presents countless challenges—not the least of which is maintaining strong interpersonal relationships. In the absence of lunchtime get-togethers, water cooler conversations, or even random encounters in hallways or elevators, a certain amount of bonding may be sacrificed.

Sebastian Reiche, Professor of Managing People in Organizations at IESE Business School, offers this advice for fostering virtual team bonds: 

• Make room for informal conversations: Humans are social animals, and people want to feel known. To help build relationships and trust, encourage team members to share their feelings and chat informally. A few minutes doing this at the start or end of meetings can go a long way.

 

• Show appreciation: When your team, or one of its members, achieves a particular goal, organize a virtual reward ceremony. This could take the form of a virtual standing ovation, or a small gift sent to all team members that everyone can open at the same time during a video call.

 

• Help pre-existing teams open up to new methods or members: If you “inherit” a pre-existing team where everyone knows each other and works well together, be aware they may be resistant to change. Shared online training activities can help.

 

• Be available: Perhaps most important of all, be available to your team members. Let them know it is okay to reach out to you one-on-one for advice or to brainstorm or just to talk about their day, their mood, and their challenges--which, these days, are not in short supply.

Are you leading or participating in a virtual team? What tips do you have for keeping spirit and cohesiveness strong? To join the conversation, click "comments" on our Community of Practice Forum.
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If you would like to learn more about creating a habit around masterful communication, check out our online learning programs. 

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